Speak for Impact

"Seek connection, not perfection," Judith Grant, executive speaking coach.
In the boardroom, at the roundtable, and in the media what you say and how you say it drives success. The author will share her unique insights garnered from decades as a TV anchor, reporter, producer, and professional media and presentation coach working with C-Suite, executives and celebrities. She'll draw from popular culture, recent events and personal stories to illustrate the power of good (and bad) speaking skills.

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If you do enough public speaking, whether in front of an audience or a TV camera, you’re bound to run into some unpredictable glitch.

Let’s take a look at Houston meteorologist David Paul who powered through an unexpected case of the hiccups. Whether you are a TV personality or an executive, you might face an unanticipated problem during your speaking engagement. Watch how he handles this, ah, hiccup:

David Paul’s case of the hiccups was untimely – during his three-minute long weather report on a day of severe storms. He was quick to say “excuse me” after many of the hiccup interruptions. He also did three important things:

About 30 seconds into the weather report, he said, “I have the hiccups. Of course this would happen right when we have heavy weather, but bear with me.” During a speech or performance there may be times when you need to name the challenge that you face. “I am a little nervous in front of large groups.” or “The audio doesn’t seem to be working; I’ll try to speak a little louder.” Declare what is going on in order to keep the connection with your audience.

He used the speaking strength of humility. David smiled a few times throughout the on-air hiccuping episode, and said “We’ve all had hiccups before, right?” We are all human and viewers could feel a connection to someone who reminds them of that.

For any of your speaking engagements, if you experience a glitch, in most cases you, too, will want to power through. Connect with your audience – name your challenge and keep it human – and be prepared to keep the stage.

Speaking for impact is not an accident it’s a skill. Share your stories of glitches and hiccups you’ve experienced during a presentation, TV or live video event.